Dragons and Dragon Mythology

Dragons appear in the mythologies of most cultures around the world. Perhaps their most famous feature is that they breathe fire.

They are my favorite of the legendary and mythical creatures. Well, I have to admit to a soft spot for the Loch Ness monster, but maybe Nessie's actually a kind of dragon that lives in the water!

The most common type of legendary dragon breathes fire and flies using its large wings. They are usually portrayed as scaly reptiles, hatching from eggs, and sometimes have large eyes. Today dragons are thought of as pretty big creatures, but in the past they were often depicted as relatively small, not much bigger than a horse, or even very small like a bird or butterfly. Some dragons were able to speak and expressed feelings, while others were just wild beasts.

Celtic Dragon
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In most historical legends dragons are portrayed as evil. They are guilty of preying on the livestock of the villagers, and sometimes even villagers. Well, I guess that would be bad! Actually, so bad that many villages apparently decided to sacrifice a nice young virgin to the dragon periodically in hopes that would keep it away.

Dragons are also considered hoarders of treasures. They apparently gathered lots of gold and jewels and kept them safe in their underground lairs.

In most of the legends about dragons they are portrayed as fierce dangers to humankind. In many cases, though, they provided a special, supernatural even, challenge for a hero to overcome in his quest to achieve some good purpose. Sometimes this was just to get past a dragon, or retrieve some treasure that the dragon was guarding, but in many cases the task was to kill the dragon - so "dragon slayer" became one of the qualifications for heroes.

Saint George is well known for slaying a dragon that had been terrorizing a city. The grateful people converted to Christianity. George became the patron saint of several European nations, including England, so I heard all about him growing up. Of course, since I lived in Scotland we weren't so impressed by his success in converting the English to Christianity, but slaying a dragon was still notable!

St. George Slaying the Dragon
by Hans von Aachen
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The Chinese, or Oriental, dragon is different from the Western version. This dragon is the one in the Chinese zodiac, the one that works on years not months. 2012 is the year of the dragon, actually the water dragon. I'm a dragon so this is very interesting to me!

Chinese Dragon
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The Chinese dragon has a long serpentine body and usually has a beard on its face. Even though it has no wings it still flies. It flies because it is a spiritual creature not bound by the laws of the physical world. These dragons are mystical creatures with many supernatural powers that are described in different tales. Although they do not usually breathe fire, they can turn into fire or water, or clouds, or become invisible.

Eastern Dragon
A Beautiful Purple Dragon from the east, winding it's way through the sky
by Michelle Wilder at zazzle.com

Unlike the Western dragon that is dangerous and usually considered evil, the oriental dragon is a powerful spiritual creature, benevolent and a bringer of good fortune. So, Orientals don't think dragon slaying is such a good idea! In China, the dragon was often adopted by emperors as a sacred symbol of power.

Dragons are such amazing creatures, from their physical appearance to their supernatural powers and on to the many tales that have been told about them. It is no wonder that artists have included dragons of all sorts in their work. Here are some examples that inspire me.

Evening Flight by Pixilator at zazzle.com

Earth Dragon
by Liiga at zazzle.com

Golden Dragon
by pawtraitart at zazzle.com



Mermaid with a Golden Dragon
by Jasmine Becket-Griffith
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Hobsyllwin by Ciruelo
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Two Worlds
by Liiga at zazzle.com

Two dragons, two worlds - brown and blue, furry and smooth, bat and bird, earth and space. Everywhere they exist together, they mix, they exchange, but they remain separate.

Copyright © Jennifer P. Tanabe, 2009.
This page was created on May 22, 2009 and is the property of jptanabe (Jennifer P. Tanabe) and Squidoo, LLC. Please do not copy my material!